Potential Cruz primary challenger readies Senate bid

A Texas Republican who could challenge Sen. Ted Cruz next year is laying the groundwork for a Senate bid.

Christian television executive Bruce Jacobson, who has discussed the possibility of taking on the Texas Republican in a primary, has a now live campaign website, brucefortexas.com, and Twitter handle, @brucefortexas.

Texas’s 2018 primary filing opens Saturday and runs through Dec. 11.

A Fort Worth-based super PAC has been raising money to help a potential Jacobson campaign. The group, Texans for Texas, has raised about $25,000. It has paid the Pittsburgh-based firm Brabender Cox, which has ties to Rick Santorum.

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The PAC has criticized Cruz for spending too much time out of state during his unsuccessful run for the Republican presidential nomination last year.

Jacobson, of North Richland Hills, is the vice president and executive producer for televangelist James Robison’s daily show “Life Today.”

He worked in the U.S. Department of Transportation under President Ronald Reagan, and served as a deputy regional representative for the Department of Labor under President George H. W. Bush. He also served as a director of a Regional Emergency Management Team during the Bush administration.

Jacobson took a swipe at Cruz in an interview with the Star-Telegram last month, criticizing lawmakers who “are so wrapped up in their own political agenda they’ve lost track of who they were sent to serve.”

Jacobson said then he was “prayerfully considering” running in the March 6 primary.

Jacobson’s largely dormant personal Twitter account became active this week, as he tweeted about the shooting in San Antonio and Veterans Day.

His campaign account tweeted Friday that it was seeking verification from Twitter, and then would be “ready to go.” He did not elaborate on what that means.

Cruz plans to seek a second Senate term.

El Paso Rep. Beto O’Rourke is also running for Senate in Texas as a Democrat.

Cruz had about $5.7 million on hand for his reelection as of September 30. O’Rourke, who joined the race in March, had about $2.9 million.